Chapter Text
One could never quite not be a king when one was king, but Thor was relishing the relative anonymity of an unofficial visit to Vanaheim. Local officials had to be informed of it as a matter of diplomacy of course, but beyond some glad-handling, nothing was expected of the King of Asgard. He was free to be Thor Odinson for some time. Just a short time, but it would do.
Naturally, he would still enjoy the largely unchanged perks of his status.
The King of Asgard, and perhaps more importantly, the son of Frigga Freyrsdottir, was being made welcome in the Court of Vanaheim today, briefly, and then Thor and his companions would be free to indulge in the rural splendor of the realm as well as its beautiful city. He was possibly past the time in his life where he would take simple, uproarious joy in wine, women, bar brawls and song and think it time best spent, but he certainly hadn't yet reached a time in his life when he would ignore the opportunity for such things.
It would take his mind off Loki, perhaps.
In the weeks since Loki had left Asgard for Jotunheim again, Thor had not heard from him. Had heard a little from Jotunheim, the tentative beginnings of talks, perhaps even the start of a mutual understanding about the future of their realms together. Loki had not featured in the outreach in any obvious way, nor did Thor get any sense of Loki's hands on the strings of the Jotunn representatives. Had he left Jotunheim too? Thor worried about the alternatives, but did not dwell on them too much.
Loki was nothing if not a survivor.
The formalities at the Court itself done, Thor and his four companions had joined the royal family for dinner, talking on inoffensive topics and dutifully asking the opportunity to offer mutual hospitality on Asgard. Thor could feel the Queen of the Vanir's curiousity about how the most recent war against Jotunheim had ended, but she was too polite to ask directly the details from the Asgardians. Questions and rumours swirled around the relationship between the two realms also; Thor did not feel like addressing any of it, but was vaguely worried that the uncertainty might affect Asgard adversely in the long run. He would have to ask his father's advice. And Loki's, whenever he decided to make an appearance.
He sensed the awkwardness in a pause in conversation as the Queen and her husband exchanged a look. She turned to Thor and said, "My lord, we are grateful you have recently returned to Asgard safely from Jotunheim after an, er, successful campaign there." She waited for Thor to acknowledge her statement and he did so with a terse nod. The safe return of his army, his companions and himself and a halt being called to what was left of the Jotunn war machine could be considered a victory, he supposed. With Loki in the mix, the outcome was never going to have been straightforward, but Asgard had not lost, exactly.
The Queen waited for more, but on realising that Thor did not intend to elucidate, she continued somewhat hesitantly. "We had a visitor lately on Vanaheim, from Jotunheim we believe, although we cannot be sure." Thor tried to hide a smile. That sounded like Loki. He responded, "Frost Giants are rarely seen except in their own realm, but they are distinctive. What makes you think your visitor was or was not Jotunn?"
The Queen nodded at one of her bodyguards who lounged by the doors of the dining hall and at the Queen's signal flung them wide. Two palace guards marched in, dragging a restrained figure between them. A tall, slender, blue-skinned figure whose furious eyes and sharp cheekbones were immediately recognisable to Thor despite their unfamiliar colouring, and despite the rest of his face being concealed behind a metal gag. Below that sat a metal collar carved with runes.
At another gesture from the Queen, one of the guards put Loki on his knees, then stepped forward and saluted. "A shapechanger, your majesty. We believe he used his abilities to commit crimes here some years ago, although he looked Aesir then. He was recognised and arrested some days ago after arriving in the city. We found him to be in possession of this."
Thor took the proffered item to examine it, and realised it was a silver replica of Mjolnir, beautifully worked, held in a band of thin leather straps in the Asgardian style.
Thor looked at Loki and smiled. Loki returned a look that threatened a painful death. Thor turned back to the Queen. "Your majesty," he asked gravely. "How do the Vanir punish theft?"